Anita E. Stein

Anita Stein (née Sander), formerly of New York City and Chappaqua passed away peacefully in Palm Beach, Fl. in the early hours of July 3. She was 96. Anita was born in 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany, the daughter of Hugo and Lili Sander. Her mother passed away the day before Anita’s seventh birthday – something that Anita could never forget, and it remained a lasting sorrow throughout her life. Nazism made her life as a Jewish girl impossible. On Kristallnacht, the family apartment was saved from destruction because it was registered in the name of the non-Jewish landlord. A great-aunt arranged for Anita and her sister, Lee, to flee to England while her father was incarcerated in Dachau for six weeks. Anita attended school in Sussex (later evacuated to Somerset) and was cared for by a Quaker family with whom she remained in touch throughout her life. In 1940, joined by her father, Anita and Lee reached the USA. At the end of the War, she met another refugee, Ludwig ‘Larry’ Stein at a Jewish summer camp. They married in 1950; Larry earned a Purple Heart in the US Army and worked as a Civil Engineer. He had a distinguished career overseeing the refurbishment of the Brooklyn Bridge. Anita qualified as a nurse in 1975 and worked at White Plains Hospital. They lived in Chappaqua, New York, and both retired in 1990. Larry passed away in 2009, and later Anita moved to Palm Beach, Florida. She is remembered as an elegant, graceful personality, always immaculately dressed and groomed. She delighted in grandchildren, great-grandchildren and family, and was affectionately remembered by a wide circle of family and friends. She is survived by her children, Linda Solon and Michelle Stein-Shaviv (Paul); grandchildren Robyn Haim (Todd), Mitchell Yoffe (Barbara), Sara Greenwalt (Wills); great-grandchildren Leyna, Alec and Mack; step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren; and extended family.